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The evening sun dipped low on the horizon, casting the city below in hues of fading gold and soft indigo. Alexander stood atop the apartment complex where he lived, surveying the skyline, as the noise of the bustling streets below drifted upwards—an odd harmony of honking horns, murmuring voices, and distant sirens. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to blend into this world, to be just another man in the quiet solitude of twilight.
But then, something stirred his senses—a sudden, sharp crack in the atmosphere, followed by an intense whistle that rippled through the air like a piercing scream. His gaze snapped upwards, his supervision kicking in instinctively, scanning the far-off sky.
At first, it was a speck, a faint gleam amidst the gathering darkness. But then, as it plummeted, the object became clearer—a starfall, or so it seemed. The way it blazed, burning bright and fast as it cut through the atmosphere, made him think it could be a meteor or some kind of celestial debris. But then he saw the symbol—a symbol unmistakable in its familiarity.
It wasn't a star.
It was a pod.
Superman's emblem adorned its side, though the color scheme was different—more muted, faded, as though worn from time and space. Whatever this pod was, whoever it carried, it wasn't human. And it was coming in fast. Without hesitation, Alexander's body tensed, and with a sonic boom, he shot up into the sky, leaving the A.R.G.U.S. agents and the League of Villains' watchers below to scatter in surprise. Their surveillance would have to wait.
As he soared upward, the familiar thrill of flight coursed through him. The world blurred into streaks of light as he punched through the clouds, his senses locked on the descending pod. He was faster than it, but barely. He adjusted his trajectory, aiming to intercept it before it could crash into the city near Gotham. The air pressure built around him as he accelerated, and just before the pod would have collided with the earth, he reached out and caught it mid-air, pulling it into his gravitational field.
The pod was small—compact but dense, built to survive interstellar travel. It hummed with energy as Alexander descended, its heat burning into his palms despite his invulnerability. His eyes narrowed as he spotted his dreadnaught nestled inside the mountain—a place where no one else could see. He gently guided the pod down to the hidden alcove, making sure not to trigger any security systems on the colossal vessel.
As he landed near the dreadnaught, the ground trembled slightly beneath his feet. The pod hissed, a series of mechanisms releasing the air pressure inside as steam poured out from the sides. Alexander's eyes remained locked on the pod, his senses on high alert. There was a pulse of energy from within—faint, yet familiar. The same kind of energy he'd felt from Superman.
The pod's hatch hissed open slowly, and the steam gave way to a figure—a girl, younger than he expected. She stumbled out, looking disoriented, her eyes wide with fear, her body shaking with fatigue or perhaps something more. Her appearance was striking, her clothes and armor similar to that of Superman's design, though it appeared worn and battle-scarred. Her hair was tousled, her face pale with a mixture of distress and exhaustion.
Her lips moved, forming words, but they meant nothing to Alexander. Her language—it was alien at least it wasn't valorian, filled with sharp consonants and soft vowels, a string of sounds he couldn't immediately place. She was speaking to him, or rather, pleading. He could hear the fear and confusion in her tone, even if he couldn't understand the words.
"Hey, it's okay," Alexander said softly, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. He knew the language barrier was a problem, but he tried to convey calmness through his tone. "You're safe now."
Her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings—his dreadnaught, the mountain alcove—and then fixated on him. She tensed, backing away slightly, her hands clenched into fists, ready to defend herself. She didn't trust him. Why would she? She'd just crashed on a strange world, and he was nothing more than an imposing stranger.
Alexander took a cautious step forward, trying to show her that he wasn't a threat. "Look," he said, pulling something out of his jacket—a simple snack he'd picked up earlier that day at the appliance store. Earth food, was probably meaningless to her, but it was the only peace offering he could think of. He held it out, hoping to bridge the gap.
But she didn't take it. Instead, her body shuddered, her fear tipping into something more volatile. Frustration etched across her face, and suddenly, with a burst of raw energy, she leapt into the air, exploding from the pod with such force that it knocked Alexander back several steps. The girl shot into the sky, her powers fully awakening in a surge of chaos. shocking herself in the process
"Damn it," Alexander muttered under his breath, quickly launching after her.
She was heading for the city, and he knew what would happen if she reached it. Her energy was unstable, her emotions running rampant. If she lost control, she'd wreak havoc on everything and everyone around her. He raced through the air, his super speed allowing him to close the distance in seconds. But by the time he reached her, it was already too late.
She crashed into the edge of the city, her landing tearing through buildings and streets like a bomb had gone off. A wave of destruction rippled outward—cars overturned, windows shattered, debris scattered. Alexander landed hard, his feet digging into the ground as he absorbed the shockwaves.
The girl stood in the center of the devastation, her body trembling as she fought to control the surging power within her. Her eyes glowed, her hands crackling with energy she didn't understand. Panic set in, her breathing ragged, and she raised her arms as if to strike again.
But Alexander was there, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Stop!" he shouted, his voice booming with authority. "It's okay! You don't have to fight. I'm here to help."
She faltered, the energy flickering around her. Slowly, she turned to face him, her glowing eyes locking onto his. Alexander didn't move, keeping his stance calm and open, though inside he was ready to act at a moment's notice if she lashed out again.
But she didn't. Her eyes dimmed, and her fists unclenched. Her chest heaved as she let out a long, shuddering breath, the tension in her body gradually easing. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the fight drained out of her. She stumbled forward, her legs giving way, and before she collapsed, Alexander was there, catching her.
She clung to him, her head resting against his shoulder, trembling not from fear but from exhaustion. The adrenaline faded, and in its place came tears. Quiet at first, then louder. The sobs wracked her body as she cried into his chest.
Alexander stood there, unmoving, unsure of what to do. Why was she crying? He didn't understand her words, her origins, or her story, but he understood this—she was lost, scared, and far from home.
For now, that was all he needed to know.